I need more truck!

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by Cabinfever97

If you do decide to go to 3/4 ton I dont think you need a 1 ton. Most normal 1 tons o ly get you more truck GVW. The gross CVW likely will.stay the same. We have a 2015 Ford F250 crew cab gas. If this truck were a 1 ton, same gear and motor, the truck GVW would go to 11000lbs instead of the 9900, but the GCW for towing stays the same at 19,000lbs. Just do yourself a favor and research the numbers very closely. Double check everything you are told and read for the specific truck you are looking at. Pay close attention to rear gear and engine size. Understand GVW and GCW. Many run out of GVW before GCW. We have about 700 lbs reserve weight for GVW and about 1600 lbs reserve GCW. We can easily eat up the 700 GVW with the current TT before using up the GCW. We have a 2007 Chevy 2500 gas. It only has a GCW of 16000lbs. That is why this truck is a Ford. The Chevy is still great for work, not so much for towing.

I'm thinking we would end up with a ram of some sort. (Half of the family either works for Chrysler or is retired from there). This is my 3rd ram now. I was looking at upgrading to a hemi with better ratio or the 2500 with the 6.4 hemi

[upflying]

Am I correct to assume your towing capacity is 6250lb?

"The lowest tow rating for the 2019 Ram 1500 is 6,250 pounds, available in a variety of trims, including the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and the top-of-the-line Limited. All of the configurations with this minimum tow rating are crew-cab models (the 1500's largest cab) with the 3.21:1 axle ratio, a 6-foot-4-inch bed, four-wheel drive and the 3.6-liter V-6. Pricing starts around $39,000 for the Tradesman and goes up to $58,000 for the starting price of the Limited."

And if that is the case, you could be towing more than that with a loaded Rockwood 2509S. Your payload looks fine though.

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by upflying

Am I correct to assume your towing capacity is 6250lb?

"The lowest tow rating for the 2019 Ram 1500 is 6,250 pounds, available in a variety of trims, including the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and the top-of-the-line Limited. All of the configurations with this minimum tow rating are crew-cab models (the 1500's largest cab) with the 3.21:1 axle ratio, a 6-foot-4-inch bed, four-wheel drive and the 3.6-liter V-6. Pricing starts around $39,000 for the Tradesman and goes up to $58,000 for the starting price of the Limited."

And if that is the case, you could be towing more than that with a loaded Rockwood 2509S. Your payload looks fine though.

Yes. I got 6300 when I looked it up. Bascially the same thing. I figure we have about 1000 pounds to hit the max. We tow with empty tanks of course.

[DougW]

With a 27 mile commute a 3/4 ton truck is going to be more expensive to own. First purchase price difference, then the increased fuel costs, plus the tires and some of the other maintenance items will be more expensive as well. A 1/2 ton with a more powerful engine will not have as much increased cost, the daily gas mileage will probably be a negligible difference. If the cost to upgrade is worth it to you for better performance while towing, go for whichever you feel is the best choice. There are a lot of engine options out there and even more opinions on which one is best. I towed an 8,000 lb toy hauler with a 3.5 ford ecoboost In an F150 and felt the power was sufficient. My brother is very happy with his F150 with the 5.0 towing a trailer of about 5,000lbs.

[moose074]

So I have virtually the same truck 2018 Ram 1500 tradesman with the 3.6 pen star and a payload of close to 1900. Honestly even though I bought it to give to my daughter in a few years, it is becoming one of my favorite trucks. It is the best riding truck gets great gas mileage, gets in and out of tight places easier than my last several 1/2 tons. I have hauled construction material that’s exceeded the payload. That said even though I towed overpay payload with my last 1/2 tons. I towed a motorcycle once with this truck and I did not enjoy the experience. I will admit it was one trip and very well could have been the set up of the trailer.

That said there was a thread about a year ago and someone asked about towing with the same motor different truck. They made the trip successfully. I will look for the thread and share if I find.

[extremebike]

You need the truck for the trailer your wife really wants (or thinks you can afford). It's hard to have too much truck. Some of the things you will want you will get with the 250/2500 series is HD suspension and LT tires.

Buy add-ons to get a 150/1500 is really a no win game. So is buying two trucks to get to the third one you need.

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.

Not subscribed.

[moose074]

[Tapex]

I have a similar setup but, higher gear ratio, 3.92 and with the hemi. Love how my Ram performs.

[rockfordroo]

Looks like you got sucked in by the "dry weight" hype; it's just a marketing ploy.

Always use GVWR.

Lots of folks are pulling 25 ft Mini Lites with 1/2 tons, but as you've found out, not all 1/2 tons are created equally - so you just need the right 1/2 ton. IMHO, if you go with the hemi in a 1/2 ton, I think you'll be fine; just make sure your payload is still adequate; the RAMs seem to have the lowest payloads due to those coil springs.

With respect to mileage, it's going to suck pulling a trailer, no matter what you do. If that bothers you, I suggest you find another hobby.

[CurtPutnam]

We had to move from a Tundra to a 3/4 ton. I would think about if this is a daily driver or mainly a TT tractor. A ½ ton can be had that will do the job but you will up there pushing limits. A 3/4 ton will provide all kinds of safety margins.

We pull a TT with a GVW of ~9000 lbs thru the western USA. The engine winds up pretty good going up the hills but it never overheats and maintains its speed with a 4:10 rear. We get 6 - 10 mpg pulling and 13 - 16 empty according to the computer.

Think about what you want to do now and 5 years from now. Do not forget that you can get smaller rigs into more places. That being said, most people want some space and comfort as they progress with camping.

[jjkd]

F150 with 3.5 Ecoboost and the max tow package does a fine job with our 2504s (slightly lighter than yours per specs, but I'm sure we've added enough junk to make up that difference). Dash display currently shows 19 mpg with no recent towing and our current limited around town travel.

[WilliamG]

SlowrideHD I have a 2019 F350 and I get the same mileage. And the ride is awesome.

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by extremebike

You need the truck for the trailer your wife really wants (or thinks you can afford). It's hard to have too much truck. Some of the things you will want you will get with the 250/2500 series is HD suspension and LT tires.

Buy add-ons to get a 150/1500 is really a no win game. So is buying two trucks to get to the third one you need.

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.

Not subscribed.

This is what im trying to avoid. Trying not to buy a 1500 with the hemi and still not liking it. Trying to see if people are comfortable with that setup with a similar size trailer.

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by moose074

Attachment 229845

Thanks

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Looks like you got sucked in by the "dry weight" hype; it's just a marketing ploy.

Always use GVWR.

Lots of folks are pulling 25 ft Mini Lites with 1/2 tons, but as you've found out, not all 1/2 tons are created equally - so you just need the right 1/2 ton. IMHO, if you go with the hemi in a 1/2 ton, I think you'll be fine; just make sure your payload is still adequate; the RAMs seem to have the lowest payloads due to those coil springs.

With respect to mileage, it's going to suck pulling a trailer, no matter what you do. If that bothers you, I suggest you find another hobby.

I know the mileage will suck. Into the wind down i-75 was rough though. Legit 6 or 7 miles a gallon. Didn't expect it to be that bad.

[corn18]

Originally Posted by Crispie0206

I know the mileage will suck. Into the wind down i-75 was rough though. Legit 6 or 7 miles a gallon. Didn't expect it to be that bad.

Yup, anything but an oil burner towing a high frontal area travel trailer really struggles into the wind. Especially if you want to go the speed limit (65-70). And you get to stop a LOT with a 26 gallon gas tank.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Crispie0206

I know the mileage will suck. Into the wind down i-75 was rough though. Legit 6 or 7 miles a gallon. Didn't expect it to be that bad.

A gasser under load in a head wind, or no wind will have terrible mileage. I only get 17+ not towing but pulling a 16,000# trailer it is 105 - 11. You don't need a diesel but you need more truck. Been there and have the T-shirt

[Roberte52]

I made a similar mistake. Had a 2014 Ram V6 and bought a Forest River Micro Lite based on the truck numbers. Realized after a couple trips I needed more truck. The V6 never seemed to want to shift into higher gears even on level, no wind roads. Our current 2014 Ram Hemi tows our new rig with no issues.

[djemgoss]

Originally Posted by Crispie0206

I know the mileage will suck. Into the wind down i-75 was rough though. Legit 6 or 7 miles a gallon. Didn't expect it to be that bad.

Just curious, how fast were you driving? I drive no faster than 64 mph and get around 10 mpg. If I go even slower, like in heavy city traffic, it gets even better.
Remember your dragging a big sail behind you.

[Crispie0206]

Originally Posted by corn18

Yup, anything but an oil burner towing a high frontal area travel trailer really struggles into the wind. Especially if you want to go the speed limit (65-70). And you get to stop a LOT with a 26 gallon gas tank.

Trying to stay between 60 and 62.